Product advancement roll

Abstract

A product advancement device utilizes a self-coiling plastic sheet of material that has been heat treated to provide the self-coiling properties. The self-coiling sheet is used on an existing shelf to advance products to the front of the shelf without the use of push plates, trays, or other parts to hold the coiled sheet in place, or to prevent it from unrolling laterally or vertically. A portion of the sheet is not coiled during the heating process so that the roll stops at a desired place, providing a product restocking area. The end of the non-coiling sheet, opposite the coiled portion, is formed to provide a product stop barrier at the edge of the shelf.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A product advance device, comprising: a heat treated sheet of plastic material;   a self-coiling roll formed from a portion of the plastic material for engaging and moving a product;   a flat non-coiling area of the plastic material extending from the self-coiling roll;   a product stop formed at the free end of said flat non-coiling area from the same material as the self-coiling roll.   
     
     
       2. The product advance device according to claim 1, including a reenforcing cylinder inside of and attached to said self-coiling roll. 
     
     
       3. The product advance device according to claim 1, wherein at least two coils of said self-coiling roll are attached to each other to strengthen the roll. 
     
     
       4. The product advance device according to claim 1, including product guides between which the self-coiling roll moves. 
     
     
       5. The product advance device according to claim 1, including at least one fastening device holding the self-coiling roll to a surface to prevent the roll from completely coiling into a roll. 
     
     
       6. The product advance device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the self-coiling roll is cut into a plurality of rolls, each of the plurality of rolls joined to the flat non-coiling area extending from the self-coiling roll. 
     
     
       7. The product advance device according to claim 6, including openings between the plurality of rolls where they were separated by cutting, and product guides extending upward in the openings. 
     
     
       8. A product advance device, comprising, a self-coiling roll portion;   a flat non-coiling area portion extending from the self-coiling roll; and   a product stop portion formed at a free end of said flat non-coiling area from the same piece of material as the self-coiling roll.   
     
     
       9. The product advance device according to claim 8 including a reenforcing cylinder inside of and attached to said self-coiling roll. 
     
     
       10. The product advance device according to claim 8, wherein at least two coils of said self-coiling roll are attached to each other to strengthen the roll. 
     
     
       11. The product advance device according to claim 8, including product guides, to guide rounded and odd shape products, between which the self-coiling roll moves. 
     
     
       12. The product advance device according to claim 8, including at least one fastening device holding the self-coiling roll to a surface to prevent one end of the roll from completely coiling into a roll. 
     
     
       13. The product advance device according to claim 8, wherein said self-coiling roll is cut into a plurality of rolls, each of the plurality of rolls joined to the flat non-coiling area extending from the self-coiling roll. 
     
     
       14. The product advance device according to claim 13, including openings between the plurality of rolls where they were separated by cutting, and rails extending upward in the openings. 
     
     
       15. A method of forming a product advance device, comprising the steps of: forming a coil from a portion of a plastic material;   maintaining a portion of the plastic material extending from said coil portion flat;   heating the coiled portion and the flat portion of said plastic material to a temperature below the melting temperature of the plastic material; and   bending the free end of the flat portion of plastic material to form a product stop.